The donations of our supporters, people like you, are largely responsible for the Foundation's positive impact as detailed in our newsletters. Thank you for your kind generosity and support in helping save lives and reduce suffering. Much more needs to be done, and it cannot happen without your support.

March 20th-22nd 2015
IFA President, Anteneh Roba M.D., will speak at the World Vegan Summit and Expo in Marina Del Ray, California.Details on the event

March 28-29,2015
IFA President, Anteneh Roba M.D., will speak at VEGFEST UK in Brighton, England.Details on the event

Message from the President

Dear IFA Supporters,

As we begin the New Year, we would like to express our thanks for the achievements of 2014 and our hopes that 2015 will yield even greater advances. We take this opportunity to highlight our successes and to inform you of our future plans.

The year 2014 has been one of refocusing back on programs after spending the whole of 2013 building a stronger infrastructure. As in the last few years, IFA has struggled financially, but our long-time supporter, A Well-Fed World, once again came through and provided funds to continue our work.

The highlight of 2014 has been the initiation of two school lunch programs that have already served over 150 students and have the potential to benefit thousands more. The basic concept of the program is to provide vulnerable students—those whom arrive to school each day hungry, with no food to sustain them throughout the day—one hot, plant based nutritious meal each school day. This endeavor commenced on May 9, 2014 at Agazian No.2 Primary School (APS) with 75 students and at Sibeste Negasi Primary School (SNPS) on April 21, 2014 with 82 students. The program continually administers to these 157 children, with plans to expand to other schools.

In April 2014, IFA also welcomed Resource Mobilization and Grant Manager Helagenet Mussie, a graduate of Addis Ababa University with expertise in Economic Policy Management and experience in fundraising. With Helagenet completing our team, IFA was able to apply for grants that enabled us to help so many of those in need. Through her expertise and the team’s dedication IFA received several grants:

In October 2014, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, awarded IFA funds to support the school nutrition program. The award is going directly to the establishment of an income-generating bakery that will sustain the School Health and Nutrition Program in the Agazian school province and feed hundreds of school children.

On December 3, 2014, IFA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the UN World Food Program (WFP). The MOU specifies that WFP will provide $25,000 to IFA for IFA's School Health and Nutrition Program so that it may increase the enrollment, attendance and nutrition of the Sibeste Negasi Primary School's most vulnerable children.

Most recently, IFA learned that a grant to further support the School Health and Nutrition Program was accepted by the Australian Embassy.

While these grants have propelled our efforts, funding from the general public has remained minimal. We are pleased to announce that a few individuals have donated money and made in kind contributions to IFA quite generously, and we want to thank them for their continued support of our programs. Their backing makes us hopeful that in 2015 we will reach even more of these compassionate individuals whose aid allows us to put our best resources forward in the service of others.

Last but not least, despite our multiple successes this year was not without some sadness and mourning, due in large part to the passing away of one of our most beloved supporters. Vincent Frank Herbert was a dedicated proponent of IFA, and we will miss him dearly.

Although in 2014 our focus was centered on our school nutrition program, we continue to work on our neonatology, rural medical/ development and animal projects and will report on all progress as it occurs. We are confident that our determination to help those that are less fortunate than us and those that cannot protect themselves, will bear fruit. Through these recent efforts we can glimpse the beginnings of a new and prosperous future for IFA. We would like to thank all of those individuals and institutions that have helped us in the past and we look forward to your continued support in the future.

Wishing All a Happy and Prosperous 2015,
Anteneh Roba, M.D.
President and Co-Founder of International Fund for Africa